Online Resources - Fresh Water and Sanitation

International Decade for Action 2005-2015: Water for Life promotes efforts to fulfill international commitments made on water and water-related issues by 2015. The site features a wealth of information on issues facing the world's water supply, multi-media reference material and a Kid's Corner with fun learning activities. Be sure to watch the videos: Water - The Drop of Life and Splish and Splash (for Kids)!

UNICEF is a world leader in providing education programs that benefit the health of children. This site is outlines the case for teaching students about clean water and the environment.

To put the spotlight on sanitation the UN General Assembly declared the year 2008 the International Year of Sanitation. The goal is to raise awareness and to accelerate progress towards the Millennium Development Goal target to reduce by half the proportion of the 2.6 billion people without access to basic sanitation by 2015. IYoS 2008 provides links to information and documents from a variety of organizations examining all aspects of the global sanitation crisis.

UN-Water is a mechanism to strengthen co-ordination and coherence among all UN bodies dealing with water-related issues, from health to farming, environment to energy, food to climate, and sanitation to disasters. This site features news, reports, programs, activities and projects from existing UN agencies. AQUASTAT is FAO's global information system on water and agriculture developed by the Land and Water Division. It collects, analyses and disseminates data and information by country and by region. Its aim is to provide users interested in global, regional and national analyses with comprehensive information related to water resources and agricultural water management across the world, with emphasis on countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean.

USGS Water Science for Schools features a water cycle diagram and summary in 68 languages and information on many aspects of water, along with pictures, data, maps, and an interactive center where you can give opinions and test your water knowledge.

The World Bank Group develops the position first proposed at the 2002 World Summit for Sustainable Development that the international community must be responsible for the development of clean water and santitation for those countries still doing without.

Vital Water Graphics (UNEP/GRID-Arendal) provides a clear overview, through a set of graphics, maps and other illustrations, of the current state of the world's fresh, coastal and marine waters. It also illustrates the causes and effects of trends that threaten our water resources, with examples of areas of major concern and future scenarios for the use and management of fresh, coastal and marine waters.

News Hour on PBS has excellent lesson plans with connections to current news stories. This page highlights all of the links to “clean water” that the PBS search engine could find. Perfect reading for the concerned student or teacher.

The Story of Drinking Water - a fun, student-friendly site. The topics addressed include the water cycle, the water molecule, and conservation of water.

The American Ground Water Trust has designed teacher institutes around science content assocation with ground water. “We are not adding to curriculum; we are promoting ground water as a bridge to existing curriculum”...

The Water Sourcebooks (US EPA) contain 324 activities for grades K-12 divided into four sections: K-2, 3-5, 5-8, and 9-12. Each section is divided into five chapters: Introduction to Water, Drinking Water and Wastewater Treatment, Surface Water Resources, Ground Water Resources, and Wetlands and Coastal Waters.

The Groundwater Foundation was founded on the principle that education is a powerful motivator for change and that factually informed people who understand the value and vulnerability of groundwater will act responsibly and responsively on its behalf. The Kids' Corner features activities for students and educators from classroom activities to "Try This at Home".

International Rivers works to protect rivers and defend the rights of communities that depend on them. They oppose destructive dams and the development model they advance, and encourage better ways of meeting people's needs for water, energy and protection from damaging floods. Visit the site for educational and environmental links that provide curriculum, tips, and other resources for educators and learners of all levels relating to rivers, dams, and people. International Rivers also provides useful fact sheets on dams and rivers as well as extraordinary slideshows highlighting critical issues.

Linking Fresh Water to OceansA World Ocean Observatory Online Event: The effect of land-based human activities is the most important driver of marine pollution and impact on marine ecosystems and coastal and marine dependent economies. Visit our site for further multi-media presentations, information and links between global organizations.